Digestive enzymes
What are Digestive enzymes?
Digestive enzymes are proteins that speed up the breakdown (hydrolysis) of food molecules into their separate components (for example, sucrose is split into glucose and fructose). These reactions happen within the gastrointestinal tract (GI), and most of the digestive enzymes present naturally in our bodies are secreted by the pancreas into the small intestine via the pancreatic duct. Examples of digestive enzymes include amylase, gelatinase, lactase, lipase, maltase, peptidase, and protease.
Digestive enzyme products may be given orally at meal times to improve digestion in people who cannot digest food properly because their pancreas does not produce the required amounts of enzymes (can occur as a result of cystic fibrosis, surgery, inherited conditions and other reasons).
List of Digestive enzymes
Drug Name | Avg. Rating | Reviews |
---|---|---|
lactase systemic Brand names: Lactaid, Lactaid Ultra, Lactrase, Lac-Dose, Lactaid Fast Act |
132 reviews | |
pancrelipase systemic (Pro) Brand names: Zenpep, Creon, Pancreaze, Viokace, Pertzye |
91 reviews | |
alpha-d-galactosidase systemic Brand names: Beano, Gas-X Prevention |
7 reviews | |
sacrosidase systemic (Pro) Brand name: Sucraid |
3 reviews | |
pancreatin systemic Brand names: Pan-2400, Pancreatin 4X, Hi-Vegi-Lip |
1 review | |
cholic acid systemic (Pro) Brand name: Cholbam | No reviews | |
For ratings, users were asked how effective they found the medicine while considering positive/adverse effects and ease of use (1 = not effective, 10 = most effective). |
See also
Medical conditions treated or associated with digestive enzymes:
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.